The Vilnius Film Fund, established by the City of Vilnius, has announced the results of its second year of operation. This year, a total of 14 applications were submitted to the competition, with 11 projects proceeding to expert evaluation. Following evaluations by the expert panel and funding allocation committee, funding was awarded to 8 film projects.
Compared to the fund’s first year of operation, interest in the Vilnius Film Fund has doubled – in 2025, 7 applications were submitted and funding was awarded to 4 projects. This year, the fund’s budget was also increased from EUR 100,000 to EUR 150,000.
“We are seeing growing interest from both Lithuanian and international filmmakers in Vilnius and the opportunities it offers for international co-productions. The Vilnius Film Fund is becoming an important instrument for strengthening the city’s visibility within the international film industry, encouraging creative partnerships, and creating long-term value for the city,” says Vilnius Deputy Mayor Simona Bieliūnė.
The highest-rated film project this year, receiving 100% funding, is the Lithuanian-Croatian co-produced creative documentary Retrospective (dir. Gabrielė Urbonaitė), produced by „Uljana Kim and ko“.
Documentary projects that also received particularly strong evaluations and funding include the Lithuanian-Latvian co-production Double Self-Portrait (dir. Aistė Stonytė), produced by “Moonmakers”, the Lithuanian-Estonian co-production Chasing Gold in the Dark (dir. Andrius Lekavičius), produced by “360 laipsnių filmai”, and the Lithuanian-Italian-Ukrainian social documentary See What I Say! (dir. Artūras Jevdokimovas), produced by “Zero Copy Reel”.
Funding was also awarded to the Lithuanian-Italian-Croatian crime musical drama Concrete Music (dir. Saulius Baradinskas), produced by „Viktorijos filmai“, the Lithuanian-Polish children’s fiction drama The Queen of England Stole My Parents (dir. Ernestas Jankauskas), produced by „Dansu films“, the Lithuanian-Ukrainian documentary DNA of the Nation (dir. Ivan Sautkin), produced by “Zero Copy Reel”, and the Lithuanian-Spanish fiction drama Pínkala (dir. Juanjo Giménez), produced by „Čiobreliai“ („M-Films).
The projects funded this year represent a wide range of film genres and formats – from documentaries and socially engaged stories to animation, musical crime drama, and films for children. All selected projects are being developed as co-productions, with a significant part of the filming planned to take place in Vilnius.
The Vilnius Film Fund is the first city film fund in Lithuania supporting international film co-productions. The fund finances documentary, animated, and fiction feature film co-productions between Lithuanian and foreign creators. It aims to strengthen the city’s cultural identity through film production projects, contribute to Vilnius’ economic growth, international visibility, and competitiveness, and further establish Vilnius as an attractive and film-friendly city.
According to Jūratė Pazikaitė, Head of the Vilnius Film Office, the growing number of applications demonstrates that Vilnius is becoming increasingly visible on the international co-production map.
“We are pleased to see Lithuanian filmmakers actively collaborating with international partners, while Vilnius is becoming a choice for film development and production. Initiatives like this not only strengthen the local film industry, but also contribute to the city’s visibility and international competitiveness,” says J. Pazikaitė.
All organisations awarded funding from June 3, 2026 are invited to sign funding agreements. More information: https://filmvilnius.com/lt/vilniaus-kino-fondas/
